—What is the most/best/least/<other superlative> <...> you have ever <...>?

—Have you ever <...>?

What do you think about this apparent compulsion to compare our experiences with those of others and to look for trends, norms, and prevailing opinions among the views of fellow flutherfolk? What’s the use? What do we learn? Is it just conversational? What is the point?

Every little thing we learn about those beyond our front doors is a further illumination of humanity as a whole. It opens a little crack in our defenses and our preconceived notions, allowing us to realize anew that people are more alike than not. I think that can only be a good thing. Even if it is kind of repetitive. :)

Are we peeping in one another’s windows? reading one another’s mail? peering over one another’s shoulders on the airplane to see what they’re reading? Why is what’s seen through my neighbor’s living room window more interesting than what’s happening inside mine?

Or are we measuring ourselves against some self-selected population of others to see if we’re in the middle or on the fringes? and why does it matter?